Types of Witnesses – Eye Witness
Also known as a “percipient witness,” an eyewitness is an individual who has direct knowledge of an event or situation that pertains to a criminal or civil case. Technically, eyewitnesses do not have to witness the pertinent event or situation with their own eyes. Phone conversations, office consultations, and other modes may provide witnesses with sufficient familiarity to earn the “eyewitness” designation.
In any event, the process of preparing eyewitnesses to give deposition testimony can be surprisingly complicated and frustrating. The legal precedents and generally accepted practices that dictate deposition protocols are not always intuitive, and many witnesses who believe that they are helping their attorneys’ cases may actually be doing the opposite. For this reason, attorneys must ensure that their eyewitnesses have proper courtroom training before taking the stand or submitting to a deposition under oath.
This process often requires a significant investment of time and energy that many attorneys simply cannot afford. The Perfect Witness mitigates this problem with our “simple, effective, and efficient” online witness training tool that can be tailored to the specific needs of eyewitnesses.
Our video teaches eyewitnesses to avoid common mistakes to which inexperienced or overconfident trial participants often fall victim. For instance, many witnesses attempt to shore up their attorneys’ cases by speaking off the cuff, providing unsolicited “expert opinions,” or offering additional information that has little or no relevance to the matter at hand. These “rogue moments” rarely have the desired effect. Instead, they can alienate jury members and damage critical case elements. The Perfect Witness helps witnesses avoid this all-too-easy trap by demonstrating the importance of providing direct answers to questions and always sticking to the facts.
Since witnesses can often provide conflicting accounts, our witness training program gives witnesses the confidence that they need to remain credible in the face of pressure from opposing attorneys. By carefully thinking out their responses and employing pauses for dramatic effect, eyewitnesses can avoid carefully laid traps and remain faithful to a creditable story that is difficult to call into question.
Our video also makes it easy for eyewitnesses to keep all deposition participants engaged. By highlighting the importance of good speaking habits and courtroom-appropriate presentation, The Perfect Witness endears witnesses to judges and jury members while building stronger cases.
The Perfect Witness’s proprietary expert witness training program is designed to simplify the pre-trial preparation process and reduce the time that attorneys must devote to deposition training. If you want to spend more time building a strong case without worrying about unprepared or unpersuasive witnesses, sign up for your free Perfect Witness profile today.